Best programs to become a food batchmaker
You do not need a college degree to become a food batchmaker. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Brewing Science and Zymology/Fermentation Science (IPEDS completions).
2 college programs at 23 schools train food batchmakers, graduating 212 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $42,290 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About food batchmakers
Set up and operate equipment that mixes or blends ingredients used in the manufacturing of food products. Includes candy makers and cheese makers.
Best programs to study to become a food batchmaker
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 01.1003 | 113 | 53.3% | 19 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
| 2 | CIP 01.1005 | 99 | 46.7% | 4 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
Top 23 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 1 feeder program | 91 | Zymology/Fermentation Science | 71% | — | 93% |
| 2 | Chattahoochee Technical College Marietta, GA Public · 1 feeder program | 28 | Brewing Science | 38% | — | — |
| 3 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI Public · 1 feeder program | 13 | Brewing Science | 67% | — | 83% |
| 4 | Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 11 | Brewing Science | 73% | $42,705 | 65% |
| 5 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO Public · 1 feeder program | 8 | Brewing Science | 67% | — | 89% |
| 6 | Schenectady County Community College Schenectady, NY Public · 1 feeder program | 8 | Brewing Science | 32% | — | — |
| 7 | Auburn University Auburn, AL Public · 1 feeder program | 7 | Brewing Science | 82% | — | 46% |
| 8 | Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH Public · 1 feeder program | 5 | Brewing Science | 16% | — | — |
| 9 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN Public · 1 feeder program | 5 | Zymology/Fermentation Science | 54% | — | 69% |
| 10 | Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ Public · 1 feeder program | 5 | Brewing Science | 61% | — | 90% |
| 11 | Regis University Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 5 | Brewing Science | 61% | $22,407 | 86% |
| 12 | Bucks County Community College Newtown, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 4 | Brewing Science | 32% | — | — |
| 13 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN Public · 1 feeder program | 4 | Brewing Science | 53% | — | 86% |
| 14 | Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 4 | Brewing Science | 53% | — | — |
| 15 | Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM Public · 1 feeder program | 3 | Brewing Science | 31% | — | — |
| 16 | Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI Public · 1 feeder program | 2 | Zymology/Fermentation Science | 46% | — | 80% |
| 17 | Kent State University at Ashtabula Ashtabula, OH Public · 1 feeder program | 2 | Brewing Science | 25% | — | — |
| 18 | The University of Montana Missoula, MT Public · 1 feeder program | 2 | Brewing Science | 48% | — | 96% |
| 19 | Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kalamazoo, MI Public · 1 feeder program | 1 | Brewing Science | 28% | — | — |
| 20 | Ohio University - Main Campus Athens, OH Public · 1 feeder program | 1 | Brewing Science | 65% | — | 85% |
| 21 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill Cobleskill, NY Public · 1 feeder program | 1 | Zymology/Fermentation Science | 42% | — | 84% |
| 22 | University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO Public · 1 feeder program | 1 | Brewing Science | 51% | — | 86% |
| 23 | University of Wisconsin - Superior Superior, WI Public · 1 feeder program | 1 | Brewing Science | 42% | — | 93% |
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What food batchmakers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentuckylimited | $46,900 | 4,570 | 2.03× | 1 | 91 |
| Georgialimited | $46,490 | 4,290 | 0.78× | 1 | 28 |
| Michiganmoderate | $40,160 | 5,130 | 1.04× | 3 | 16 |
| Coloradomoderate | $44,900 | 3,880 | 1.20× | 3 | 14 |
| Connecticutlimited | $39,110 | 1,460 | 0.76× | 1 | 11 |
| New Yorklimited | $38,470 | 8,460 | 0.78× | 2 | 9 |
| Tennesseelimited | $42,610 | 2,920 | 0.79× | 2 | 9 |
| Ohiomoderate | $44,590 | 7,040 | 1.13× | 3 | 8 |
| Pennsylvanialimited | $39,920 | 8,160 | 1.20× | 2 | 8 |
| Alabamalimited | $36,980 | 1,280 | 0.54× | 1 | 7 |
| Arizonalimited | $40,550 | 2,300 | 0.63× | 1 | 5 |
| New Mexicolimited | $37,390 | 450 | 0.46× | 1 | 3 |
| Montanalimited | $39,630 | 170 | 0.30× | 1 | 2 |
| Wisconsinlimited | $48,360 | 18,040 | 5.46× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Record production and test data for each food product batch, such as the ingredients used, temperature, test results, and time cycle.
- Clean and sterilize vats and factory processing areas.
- Set up, operate, and tend equipment that cooks, mixes, blends, or processes ingredients in the manufacturing of food products, according to formulas or recipes.
- Mix or blend ingredients, according to recipes, using a paddle or an agitator, or by controlling vats that heat and mix ingredients.
- Follow recipes to produce food products of specified flavor, texture, clarity, bouquet, or color.
- Give directions to other workers who are assisting in the batchmaking process.
- Select and measure or weigh ingredients, using English or metric measures and balance scales.
- Press switches and turn knobs to start, adjust, and regulate equipment, such as beaters, extruders, discharge pipes, and salt pumps.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Active Listening3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Writing2.9
- Monitoring2.9
- Mathematics2.8
- Active Learning2.8
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security4.3
- Food Production4.3
- Production and Processing4.2
- Education and Training3.6
- English Language3.5
- Mechanical3.1
Abilities
- Near Vision3.6
- Information Ordering3.6
- Oral Comprehension3.3
- Problem Sensitivity3.1
- Control Precision3.1
- Written Comprehension3.1
Core activities
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.4
- Controlling Machines and Processes4.4
- Documenting/Recording Information4.3
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.2
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.1
How to get in
How to become a food batchmaker
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Food Batchmakers2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.1003Brewing Science
- 01.1005Zymology/Fermentation Science
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a food batchmaker?+
You do not need a college degree to become a food batchmaker. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Brewing Science and Zymology/Fermentation Science (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a food batchmaker?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Brewing Science and Zymology/Fermentation Science (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this job, which together graduate about 212 people a year.
How much do food batchmakers earn?+
The median is $42,290 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $31,990 at the 10th percentile to $58,940 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for food batchmakers growing?+
BLS projects a +6.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 24,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
23 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do food batchmakers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Mixer, Blender, Mixer Operator, Batching Operator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 51-3092.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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